US fashion industry to discuss trade and sustainability

The US fashion industry will convene in New York City on 15 November, for the 29th Apparel Importers Trade & Transportation Conference, hosted by the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and American Import Shippers Association (AISA).

This event will bring together several hundred executives working in compliance, logistics, sourcing, supply chain management, government relations, and social responsibility to discuss trade and transportation policy. The conference marks the 30th anniversary of the American Import Shippers Association (AISA).

Speakers

With the theme Fashion Made Possible by Global Trade, discussions will focus on how policy proposals will impact the industry’s supply chains and the outlook for sourcing in the new trade and customs policy environment.

Speakers include Mitchel Landau, Assistant Director, Validation & Compliance Division at the US Customs & Border Protection Center for Excellence & Expertise (CEE) for Apparel, Footwear, & Textiles; Deborah Marinucci, Branch Chief, National Commodity Specialist Division, at the U.S. Customs & Border Protection Office of Trade; John Cheh, CEO and Vice Chairman of Esquel Group Limited; David Spooner of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, former Chief Textile & Apparel Negotiator at the Office of the US Trade Representative and former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration; and industry executives across the supply chain.

Making a difference

Following the launch of USFIA’s Social Compliance & Sustainability Committee in July, the conference will feature a panel with the leading organisations in this space discussing how companies can allocate their resources and make a difference; speakers include representatives from the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Canopy, Responsible Business Alliance, and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), as well as sourcing and social compliance executives who have worked for decades at top brands and retailers.

One of the industry’s premier transportation policy events, the conference will also feature a Transportation Executive Forum, with speakers from The Port of Long Beach, Supply Chain Dive, and American Intermodal Management, LLC.

United States Fashion Industry Association

The USFIA represents the fashion industry: textile and apparel brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally. Founded in 1989 as the United States Association of Importers of Textiles & Apparel with the goal of eliminating the global apparel quota system, USFIA now works to eliminate the tariff and non-tariff barriers that impede the industry’s ability to trade freely and create economic opportunities in the United States and abroad.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, USFIA is a respected voice for the fashion industry in front of the US government, as well as international governments and stakeholders. With constant, two-way communication, USFIA staff and counsel serve as the eyes and ears of its members in Washington and around the world, enabling them to stay ahead of the regulatory challenges.